QBengaluru: IISc Scientist Denies Water Crisis; BIFFES Draws Crowd

1. There is Actually No Water Crisis in Bengaluru: IISc Scientist

T V Ramachandra, co-coordinator EWRG-CES, IISc Bangalore, said, there is actually no water crisis in Bengaluru, but the problem is in its water management.

"In reality, Bengaluru receives 740 to 850 mm rainfall annually. If we quantify this water it makes 15 TMC of water, whereas Bengaluru requires 18 TMC of water. That means 70% of water required for the city is available here itself. So, there is no need to divert either Sharavathi, nor Netravathy or Yettinahole in the name of water scarcity in Bengaluru," he said addressing the gathering

2. Man Held for Carrying Bullets, Triggers Rumours on Gauri Case

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead on 5 September. (Photo: PTI)

The arrest of a right wing activist for illegal possession of ammunition triggered reports on Friday that the State police had cracked the murder of Gauri Lankesh. However, multiple sources in SIT and the government said that the arrest was made in an unrelated case and the murder is yet to be solved.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths from the Organised Crime Wing of the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru police arrested K T Naveen Kumar, 37, hailing from Maddur and a resident of Birur in Chikkamagaluru district, in Upparpete police limits on Sunday.

The police recovered five live bullets of a .32 revolver from his backpack. A case under the Arms Act was booked at Upparpete police station and, on Monday, CCB sleuths got 9-day custody of the accused.

Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad being taken away by police for allegedly assaulting a person in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

The pub assault involving the son of Congress legislator, N A Haris, was essentially a clash between two groups that broke out accidentally, senior counsel Tommy Sebastian argued before a city court on Friday, seeking bail for the suspect.

The friends of the victim, Vidwath L, had beaten up one of the suspects, Arun Babu. This clearly shows that it was a group clash, the counsel submitted.

Haris's son, Mohammed Haris Nalapad, and seven of his associates are accused of brutally assaulting Vidwath at Farzi Cafe in the upscale UB City on 17 February. The suspects have been booked for attempted murder (IPC section 307) among other offences.

The counsel contended that the police invoked section 307 "only because the suspect is the son of a sitting MLA".

4. Not Enough MLAs in Assembly for Group Photo

Emotional speeches, thanksgiving addresses, good luck wishes and much more were missing on the concluding day of the last session of the 14th Karnataka assembly.Perhaps for the first time, there was no customary photo session either.

While some secretariat officers claimed there was no word from the Speaker’s office, a few said it may have been dropped as the session saw thin attendance. Only 28 MLAs were present when the House was adjourned.

5. On Day 1, Bengaluru Film Festival Draws Large Crowds

BIFFES Logo(Photo: The Quint)

Film buffs turned out in large numbers at the 10th Bengaluru International Film Festival on the inaugural evening on Friday.

Many had to wait for nearly an hour to enter the screens at nine different venues, occupying the seats that remained vacant until afternoon even as a steady stream of movie watchers arrived at the Orion Mall in the morning.

"I've been to the festival for the past three years," said Balu R, a literature student. "I manage to view three to four movies a day. This is the best opportunity for students to watch movies that make sense."

Friends and relatives huddled to research the 41 movies played at nine screens before zeroing in on their favourites. Organisers have put up an additional screen at the Raj Bhavan where 'Allama' and 'The Young Karl Marx' were playing.

6. Man Cons Jeweller by Pretending to Be a Politician

A man allegedly robbed a city jeweller of gold worth ₹94 lakh by pretending to be a politician who was going to contest the Assembly elections from Mysuru.

In his complaint to the police, Dheeraj DN said the accused L Somanna approached him in January with a purchase order for an event he was organising.

Somanna, who is from Chitradurga, was introduced to Dheeraj by his friend Suraj S a few years ago. They had remained in touch since then. In January 2018, he brought up the fact that he was a prospective MLA candidate from Mysuru.

According to the police, Somanna told Dheeraj that he was organising a mass marriage in the run-up to the elections and placed an order for about 320 thaalis weighing five grams each, 20 gold biscuits weighing 20 grams each and 30 biscuits weighing 30 grams each. He told Dheeraj that he was going to gift the jewellery to dignitaries attending the mass marriage.